Gopal Dass, an Indian border farmer who was condemned to a lifetime of incarceration in Pakistan after he was arrested on the wrong side of the India-Pakistan border 27 years ago, returned home on Thursday to a reunion with his long-lost siblings that was choking with emotion.

New teams, a fresh format, fast and furious action — cricket in India has barely had time to take a deep breath after the victorious World Cup campaign before it plunges headlong into the fourth edition of the Indian Premier League with defending champions Chennai Super Kings meeting 2010 wooden-spooners Kolkata Knight Riders in Chennai on Friday.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is unlikely to be called to testify by the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament, but it has summoned Cabinet Secretary K.M. Chandrasekhar, Prime Minister’s principal secretary T.K.A. Nair, attorney-general Goolam E. Vahanvati, CBI director A.P. Singh and law secretary D.R. Meena to depose before it on April 15-16 on 2G spectrum allocations.

The Union government on Thursday engaged in talks with anti-corruption campaigners led by Gandhian Anna Hazare and agreed to form a joint committee to draft an effective Lokpal Bill, but the two sides remained deadlocked on the issues of notifying such a panel and who would head it.

A 28-year-old undertrial lodged at Rohini jail died after he was allegedly assaulted in a scuffle inside the jail premises on Wednesday night.

The Delhi high court on Thursday dismissed petitions to strip the police medal awarded to former IPS officer Amod Kanth for his role in maintaining law and order during 1984 anti-Sikh riots, saying the decision was taken and ratified by various authorities, including the PMO.

Six unidentified armed assailants barged into a house in northeast Delhi’s GTB Enclave area in the early hours of Thursday. They also assaulted the family members and looted cash and jewellery worth lakhs of rupees.

The Delhi Cabinet on Thursday gave its approval in principle to a proposal to split the MCD into five parts just a year ahead of the cvic body going to the poll.
The Delhi Cabinet’s approval has come after the political committee consisting of three city ministers and headed by the health minister A.K. Walia wrapped up their

Two Class 12 girl students were run over by a Chandigarh-Delhi Shatabdi Express in outer Delhi’s Narela area on Thursday morning.
The victims, identified as Tamanna Dudwani and Nikita Sen Gupta, both 17-years-old, were returning home after dropping Nikita’s brother at Maharaja Agrasen school when the trains ran over them at Bawana railway crossing. The incident took place at around 8 am.

A Monsoon Session of Parliament is likely to be called either on July 4 or July 11. The six-week-long session could see realignment of political parties against the backdrop of a outcome of electoral battle in five state Assemblies.